NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 2/24/23
NHL DFS is similar to MLB in terms of how you build lineups, how you view stacking, and how to value players.
Two main points to always focus on in NHL DFS are what lines the players are on and making sure the goalies you are rostering are confirmed as the starters. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team, along with which goalies are confirmed as the starters.
Let's jump in and take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.
Goalie to Target
Frederik Andersen/Antti Raanta ($7,800): There's a pretty sizable gap between the Carolina Hurricanes' moneyline (-255) and where the Canes' goalies sit in terms of their salary. That money line is the largest on the slate yet, Andersen and Raanta are the seventh-highest-salaried goalies on the slate. This type of differential is a spot I love to attack since the goalie has high win equity, but their salary doesn't reflect that.
The Canes continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the league, allowing just 1.98 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the start of February, which is the sixth-best in the league. Getting a premium defense in front of strong goalies, who also have amazing salaries, is very tough to find, but we have that tonight in Carolina.
High-Salaried Skaters
Matthew Tkachuk ($9,700): The Florida Panthers have a slate-high 3.98 implied goal total, set to host the Buffalo Sabres on the second night of a back-to-back. The news for the Panthers is that they are going to be without their top center, Aleksander Barkov, putting a bit more of the offense load on Tkachuk.
Tkachuk will be on the second forward line and the first power-play unit, which should allow him to rack up the stats we've been accustomed to seeing from him. Over the last 10 games, Tkachuk has 16 NHL points 47 shots on goal, and 4 blocked shots.
This is a great matchup against the Sabres, who are allowing 4.16 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the start of February, which is the second-worst in the league. The Panthers remain one of the best offensive teams in the league with the fourth-most (3.45) goals scored per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over that same time.
William Nylander ($8,800): The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 3.45 implied goal total against the Minnesota Wild, putting Nylander in a great spot. Since the start of February, the Maple Leafs are scoring 3.41 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-best in the league. Their offense is cookin' right now, and Nylander has had his hands all over that.
Over his last 10 games, he has 12 NHL points and 43 shots on goal, which is good for the second-most and highest on the team, respectively. He has a prominent offensive role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, and that will always put him in a spot to contribute on the offensive end.
Value Skaters
Anthony Duclair ($3,500): Duclair is set to make his season debut tonight after recovering from an Achilles injury. Duclair is coming off a career season with 31 goals and 58 total NHL points in 74 games last season. He's a dynamic, offensive-minded winger who is the minimum salary tonight.
As noted above with Tkachuk, the Panthers have a slate-high 3.98 implied goal total in an awesome matchup versus the Sabres. He's expected to play on the first forward line and the second power-play unit, putting him in a great spot to get right into the groove on offense after missing most of the season.
Mike Hoffman ($5,200): The Montreal Canadiens have been scoring more lately and come in scoring the 12th-most goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the beginning of February (3.01). Hoffman is very affordable tonight and comes in with 8 NHL points and 31 shots on goal over his last 10 games. He's skating on the second forward line and the first power-play unit, which is a solid offensive role to have against the lowly Philadelphia Flyers' defense.
